temp concerns

[Colt911]

I posted this on another forum, but I thought I would also post it here.

I have the #2 and watched the temperature swings in the box at first.  Now I just set it and forget it and watch the IT of what I am cooking.  Yes it swings, but It averages out at my set temperature and my smokes come out as expected.  If you are not close to averaging, then I would suspect a problem, or might need to pull the knob and move it around a notch.  To me the air temp might vary slightly around the meat, but It will still be cooking and smoking.  If I am looking for a 195 finish and the smoker swings from 215 to 235 while I am getting there it does not bother me.

Going to the trouble and expense of a PID controller can and will hold the area at the sensor closer to the the set temperate, but I can not see how that will affect the outcome differently than several hours of normal on/off swings much. I am not trying to do a high speed exact chemical process here where a batch will spoil if it gets 5 too hot or will solidify if it gets 5 too cool.  I guess I have already dealt with too many Proportional, Integral, Derivative controllers in critical process situations in my life to be concerned with it in my slow smoker.

I saw someone post earlier that they were not familiar with the term PID Controller.  Here is a web site with a very simple basic explanation of how it would affect your smoker..

http://www.ospid.com/blog/what-is-pid-control/

Just my opinion.

Like my old H2 Kawasaki, if it ain't smoken, its broken.

 

[old sarge]

Well put Colt911. The smokers work quite well as designed. What matters is the final product. The FAQ section on this site, and on a competitors site, states clearly there will be temperature swings. A reasonable person will think about this before making a purchase.  Either they can live with it or not. If not, don't buy an analog smoker. 

Or get the analog smoker and being fully aware that there are temperature swings,purchase a PID like the Auber and modify the smoker to get the accuracy they want or need.  Perfectly acceptable option.

 

[NDKoze]

Hey guys. I think some of the last posts have forgotten that the OP understands that there will be swings and wasn't concerned about the swings. It was the inability to get up to or come close to averaging a temp that was his concern.

That being said, I agree that he and I need to give the smoker a chance because most people do not experience this issue.

I think most of us who have researched analog electric smokers understand that there will be swings.

Gregg still remaining Zen  8)

 

[old sarge]

It never hurts to remind folks of the swings. There are those who will visit the site, see only the positive and then get concerned after the purchase when they don't see the accuracy they expected.

 

[DivotMaker]

Well-put, Colt!  The swings can be disconcerting to those who don't know they're going to happen with an analog.  Dave has tested another popular brand, similar to a SI, but comes with a digital controller (you'll have to guess which brand).  Even the high $$ digital smoker experienced temp swings!  Just because they cost 2-3 times what a SI does, doesn't mean you're paying for PID accuracy on board.

My model 1 typically holds +/- 10 degrees, and my smokes are predictable as can be.  Times are very consistent, even with the analog. 

I know the original post was about not getting up to temp, but as Gregg mentioned, this is rare, and the company stands behind their product.  Glad to see Gregg's still Zen! 8)

 

[old sarge]

Tell me about it. I packed the little remote  away and stopped thinking about the difference and worrying about it. The food is done when it is done. As for
The 3 that my brother has he has cheched his temp ans found the swings ok and only uses a remote for the it. He has learned to stop agonizing over the difference which in the long run has no effect on the outcome.

 

[Thesneakyzebra]

Thanks for the replies guys. Sorry, but I was out of town so I did not see all of them until now. I am just going to roll with it and see how it goes. I ordered this to assist in catering so I was a little more concerned than a backyard BBQer. I will see how things go and if I need to go the PID route or not. Thanks for the input yall!

 

[NDKoze]

I think I will still monitor the cooking chamber just to make sure that I the swings are up and down around my set temp so I know if I need to adjust the dial settings or not. If I am going up and down and roughly averaging what my dial is set at I will be very happy.

 

[benjammn]

hey if you want to see a graphic of my last smoke, I have a pic posted showing the temps from my Tappecue, pretty cool to see, you can draw a line right through the chamber temps and get the average temp that was cooking at

 

[DivotMaker]

That's a cool graph, Ben.  Definitely a nice feature of the Tappecue!

 

[benjammn]

thought it would be cool to illustrate a non-PID graph of the temp swings that people keep asking about. but you can see that it easily was getting about 250-260 during that time.

 

[HamFisted]

My #2 if set at 225 will hit maybe 245-250 as the peak.

If I set it at 250 it cuts out at then but the heat continues until about 280, drifts back down to 240ish and it kicks back on.

The first real smoke I did was a chicken @250, and I had a water pan on the shelf. I could not get it up to 250, and the light was going off.

So I feel it was getting to temp, but my probe was having a hard time picking it up. I was a little worried. The chicken came out great though and all was fine.

Been happy with my new toy.